Having worked for the army I can attest this is all true.
Contractors would routinely deliver equipment that didn’t work, then demand payment. The contracting office ignored us and just paid them because it was cheaper than a law suit.
It was for a short period in the late 00s. There has been a lot of stuff like this for just about any major conflict. Turns procurement officers in just about any military are just as vulnerable to con men as anyone else.
this reminds me of the rocket that ULA (boeing and lockheed marteen) claimed to build for the US Nasa … which just ran comically over budget again and again. since it was a cost-plus contract, which means the US keeps paying them until the product is finished, it was just a free money pipe for them. they never intended to deliver anything worthwhile.
Having worked for the army I can attest this is all true.
Contractors would routinely deliver equipment that didn’t work, then demand payment. The contracting office ignored us and just paid them because it was cheaper than a law suit.
Hehe, did you ever have to use the Dowsing rods that claimed it could magically sniff out both drugs and bombs?
Behind the Bastards did a couple eps on that
https://player.fm/series/behind-the-bastards/part-one-the-fake-bomb-detector-grift-that-killed-hundreds
This is insane, how has this not been dogged on in the news holy shit
It was for a short period in the late 00s. There has been a lot of stuff like this for just about any major conflict. Turns procurement officers in just about any military are just as vulnerable to con men as anyone else.
They also scammed the fuck out of stupid school boards in red states.
Nope, not my area.
But this stuff is so common we were just happy if the post it notes we ordered actually worked.
this reminds me of the rocket that ULA (boeing and lockheed marteen) claimed to build for the US Nasa … which just ran comically over budget again and again. since it was a cost-plus contract, which means the US keeps paying them until the product is finished, it was just a free money pipe for them. they never intended to deliver anything worthwhile.
That is so boeing. When you know their history it’s not surprising their planes keep crashing.